This invention relates to a method of measuring temperature, and in particular to a method of measuring temperature using optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR).
Such a method of temperature measurement involves the launching of short pulses of light into one end of an optical fibre temperature sensing element, and then detecting the intensity of the backscattered light at a position at or close to the launch end of the optical fibre. The spectrum of the backscattered light will include a major component at or near the wavelength of the input pulses due to Rayleigh, Mie and Brillouin scattering, and will also include weaker components at significantly longer and shorter wavelengths due to Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman scattering, respectively. There may also be some longer wavelength fluorescence component in the backscattered light
The time of receipt of backscattered light at the detection position relative to the time of input pulse launch is dependent upon the distance from the pulse input position that scattering occurred, and thus the temperature at different positions along the optical fibre sensing element can be measured by taking into account such time delay.
In British Patent Application No. 2,140,554, published on Nov. 28, 1984, there is disclosed such an optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) temperature measuring method in which the Rayleigh and Mie and Brillouin wavelengths are filtered out of the backscattered light, while the Stokes and anti-stokes Raman wavelengths are fed to detecting and processing apparatus which calculates therefrom the temperature at the position from which the light was backscattered.
This known method uses input pulses of a single wavelength, with temperature measurement being carried out by calculation of the ratio of backscattered light intensity at the Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman wavelengths only.
As disclosed, a laser, for example a semi-conductor laser is used as an input pulse source, while a dichromator is used to effect the necessary filtering of the backscattered light, the dichromator passing the Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman wavelengths to two separate detectors, respectively.
This known method and apparatus have a number of disadvantages.
Firstly, the efficiency of the dichromator, or other device, used to effect the necessary filtering of the backscattered light, and the response of the detectors used to determine the intensity may be different at the Stokes and anti-Stokes wavelengths.
Secondly, the disclosed apparatus takes no account of the likely difference in the attenuation of the backscattered light by the optical fibre at the Stokes and anti-Stokes wavelengths, which attenuation will progressively alter the intensity ratio as the backscattered light returns along the optical fibre. The alteration in the ratio is equivalent to an error in temperature measurement and will increase with increase in distance between the input end of the optical fibre and the position of scattering and temperature measurement.
Thirdly, there may be fluorescence produced in the fibre at wavelengths longer than the Rayleigh scattered wavelength, which fluorescence may interfere with the measurement of the Stokes Raman scattered light intensity.
Fourthly, the anti-Stokes Raman scattered light intensity at very low temperatures may be too low to give an adequate signal from the detector for use in determining the temperature measurement ratio.